


Playing By Ear

by Alltheavengersarequeer (Odddaysgeorge)



Category: Marvel 616, Young Avengers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Background Relationships, Established Relationship, F/F, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 06:36:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4777238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odddaysgeorge/pseuds/Alltheavengersarequeer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Young Avengers are a band on their first tour, and Kate and America are still working out the basics of their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playing By Ear

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sixtywattgloom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixtywattgloom/gifts).



“Good morning, Princess,” snarked a tired voice.

“Babe… five more minutes.” Kate mumbled into her pillow as her girlfriend attempted to shake her awake.

“Come on, girl. We’ve got a big day ahead of us,” America said, pulling her bandmate to sit up on the bed. “We’ve got to leave soon if we wanna make it to the gig on time… if we stay too long, the motel will charge us for another night.”

 

Kate blinked rapidly. _Oh yeah,_ she remembered, _the tour_. They were on the road as a band for the first time ever, and it still felt unreal. Every morning she woke up and had to take a minute to realize she wasn’t back home in her room.

“Wakey-wakey eggs and bakey, ladies!” their manager yelled from the other side of the motel door. “Come on out before we ditch you.”

After a quick shower and change of clothes, the girls piled into a “tour bus” (van, really) with the name “Young Avengers” spraypainted on the side. The bus was packed with instruments, sound equipment, and tired, sweaty, twentysomethings:

  * Kate Bishop (stage name: Hawkeye) Electric bassist.

  * America Chavez (Stage name: Ms. America) Drummer.

  * Loki Odinson, Manager.

  * Noah Varr (stage name: Marvel Boy) Banjo player. Kate’s ex, tolerated because he owns the van.

  * Billy Kaplan, Singer and frontman.

  * Teddy Altman, acoustic guitarist. Billy’s boyfriend.

  * Tommy Shepherd (stage name and drug of choice:Speed) Electric guitarist. Billy’s twin brother and Kate’s sort-of-ex.

  * David Alleyne, techie. Tommy’s boyfriend.




America chuckled. She had always found it ironic that Loki, with his long black hair, painted nails, tight pants, and skinny-white-kid-style androgyny, best fit the “look” of someone in a rock band, and yet she was only their manager. _Oh, well._ At least they had Noah’s banjo and atrocious beard to draw in the indie hipster crowd. _Noah…_ America felt a pang of jealousy. Kate had already dated two members of the band, and sort-of still had a  friends-with-benefits thing going on with Tommy. How was she to know that Kate wasn’t just… working her way through? She tried to push the thought away. So maybe monogamy wasn’t Kate’s thing, so what? It still didn’t mean they couldn’t stay together… did it?

_Well, if that is what she’s up to, two can play at that game,_ America thought, eyeing the hard-femme genderqueer in the front passenger seat. Sure, she and Loki had a sort of love-hate friendship, but if push came to shove… _no. Kate loves me, and I love her. That’s all that matters. If she wants to keep seeing other people… well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, but I’m not going to be petty. I’m not going to pull some stupid trick to get back at her for something she might not even do._

In the seat to her left, America’s girlfriend was playing a similar dilemma in her head. _We’ve been dating for a while now, huh,_ Kate thought. _I wonder if she wants to go exclusive. Heck,  I’m not even sure if I want to go exclusive. That’s never really… gone well for me. But… if it’s what America needs for this relationship to work… I can handle it. I’ll just have to find a way to break things off with Tommy, but that should be easy. He’s a pretty chill guy._ The girl in purple leaned against the window, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face and humming a cheerful tune. She had a good feeling about the future.

“So, I’ve got some bad news, team,” Loki spoke up suddenly. “We’re running low on cash, so unless we make a mint at this next gig, no more motels. We might have to live in the van for a while.”

The band groaned, and Noah began to say, “It’s not a van, it’s a tour bus,” but was quickly interrupted.

“Hey, this is difficult for me too, guys,” Loki defended himself. “I’m gonna miss the free breakfast. Anyways, it might not come to that. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”

Tommy laughed. “Was that a music pun?”

Loki flashed a smile that split her face in two. America frowned.

“I am not going to share a sleeping space with your bad jokes for any longer than I have to, chico.”

“What about _my_ bad jokes, babe?” Kate asked.

“I’ll spend the night with your bad jokes anytime, princess.”

* * *

After a few hours of driving in the cramped vehicle, the Young Avengers arrived at a small club called X-Factor. With Teddy doing the heavy lifting, David ensuring that all equipment was working properly, and Loki smooth-talking the club manager, the stage was soon set for the concert.

“I’d like to thank everybody for coming out tonight,” the singer announced. “I’m Billy Kaplan and this is my band. We’re here, we’re queer, and we are the Young Avengers!” The crowd roared. “You guys are just the third stop on our first-ever tour, so---”

“Shut up and sing already, bro!” Tommy interrupted, as they had rehearsed.

The concert went by in a blur. Singing voices and musical instruments blended together with the noises of the club- fans cheering for a band they had never heard of, angry drunks yelling at each other, smooth-talkers whispering “do you wanna get out of here?” It was a beautifully terrible cacophony.

* * *

The band played their final number and then Billy made an announcement: “Before we go, our incredible bassist Hawkeye has one last song she’d like to share with you all. Take it away, Kate.”

This was a plan that only Kate, Billy, and Teddy had been aware of; the rest of the band was in the dark. Teddy silently  handed over his guitar- this was a song that needed an acoustic sound.

“This one goes out to my beautiful, tough-as-nails girlfriend, the real Ms. America,” Kate announced, and she began to sing:

_“Never stayed put in the same place for long_

_Never had someone who didn’t do me wrong_

_Never thought I’d lose the need to roam_

_Never thought I’d have a place to call home_

__

_Used to think that I could wish for everything_

_Now I know I want you more than anything_

__

_I finally found someone_

_That I don’t wanna run from_

_I finally have a friend_

_That I’ll stay with ‘till the end..._

_Or however long it is you want me_

__

_And we’ll never stay put in the same place for long_

_But we’ll stay together ‘cause you’ve never done me wrong._

_I know you love me because you let me roam_

_But I’ll never leave you ‘cause you are my home._

__

_Used to think that I could wish for everything_

_Know I know I want you more than anything_

__

_I finally found someone_

_That I’ll run with instead of from_

_I finally have a GIRLfriend_

_And I’ll stay with her ‘till the end…_

_Or however long it is she wants me_

_I’ve waited so long please say you want me.”_

* * *

“Good news, kids,” Loki announced later that evening. “We made enough to sleep under a roof tonight.”

And so, the girls once more found themselves alone in a motel room. A different motel, of course, but really, aren’t all motels sort of the same place? America thought so. She had done a lot of travelling growing up, and motels felt like a strangely familiar non-location, like walking through a door and finding yourself back in the same spot you were trying to leave.

“How long had you been working on that song, princess?” she asked.

“Oh, awhile,” Kate answered. “What… what did you think?”

“I loved it. But, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

“I wanted to ask you about something, too.”

“You go first,” both girls insisted at the same time before bursting into giggles at the absurdity of it. The laughter dissolved into an awkward pause as neither young woman wanted to be the first to speak.  Finally, America broke the silence.

“Kate… do you… _need_ to keep seeing other people?” It was a genuine question, with no tinge of judgement.

“I… I don’t know…. Do you need me to stop?”

“I guess… I guess I don’t know either.” America took a deep breath. “I guess we’ll have to just play it by ear.”

Kate grinned. “Was that a music pun?”

 


End file.
